(Chart courtesy of Fangraphs)
Earned His Tiger Stripes: Verlander 8.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, .166 WPA
It's safe to say that Justin Verlander has been our best starting pitcher as of late -- not only because he hasn't allowed more than two runs over his last four starts (all wins, by the way), but also because he has kept a shakey group of relief pitchers out of the game in his last two appearances. In these games he has gone 15.2 innings, only giving up 11 hits and four runs. He has thrown quite a few pitches, though, going for 109 today after throwing 120 last Tuesday in Boston. Tomorrow's day off should be pretty nice for Justin.
This was an enjoyable sweep to watch, despite the fact that it came against a struggling Cardinals squad searching for positives in an extremely disappointing campaign. The Tigers offense knocked around the defending World Champs' starters for 23 hits and 19 runs in the three games. After what could be put mildly as an "off day" for the Tigers during that doubleheader in Boston, this kind of production from the lineup was sorely needed -- especially with the bullpen being of little value through this stretch.
Very good start to the homestand, which will see the Angels and the Tribe come to town over the next two series. As for right now, the day-off should be nice for our bullpen arms, but here's hoping it doesn't mess with the momentum of these bats.
A Few Things of Note:
- Grandy leads the AL with six triples. He hit one to start the game, scoring on the next at-bat by Neifi. He ranks second in the bigs, behind only the Mets' speedy Jose Reyes.
- Mike Maroth has gotten over the illness that took him out of his last start against Boston. He'll throw in Tuesday's matchup with the Angels, facing off against John Lackey.
- Pujols was impressive this series. It looks like he's heating up and could be ready for a nice little tear if he keeps up the momentum.
- Leftys vs Bobby Seay this season: 1-23, 6 Ks, .043 BA -- for as much criticism as the bullpen has been getting, this guy has been a pretty good surprise for the Tigers.